Good girls stay away from Ryder Briggs . . . or, at least, they try to. In Renita Pizzitola’s emotional novel of heartache and seduction, one college freshman just can’t get enough.

Brinley Dawson doesn’t drink, she studies—and despite the accusations of her alcoholic mother, she’s still a virgin. But if Brinley’s life is so put together, why is she freaking out to be going to college with the gorgeous, green-eyed jerk she kissed on a stupid dare in high school? Ryder Briggs can have any girl he wants . . . and the rumors say that he does. So why, after publicly embarrassing Brinley four years ago, is he suddenly acting like he’s interested?

Ryder never forgot Brinley. In fact, those perfect seven minutes permanently raised the bar for what a kiss could be. The truth is, Ryder doesn’t dare get too close to anyone. He knows how that worked out for his parents. But when his roommate takes a shot at Brinley, Ryder can’t contain his jealousy. Now he must do the hardest thing he’s ever done: forget about sex and convince Brinley his feelings are real.

Brinley isn’t sure whether she believes Ryder, but for the first time, her body isn’t playing by the rules. Then she discovers that she’s an unwilling part of a cruel game, humiliating her all over again—and Ryder might be to blame. Has Brinley’s little crush turned into a huge mistake . . . or has she found the one guy worth trusting with her heart?

“‘Though I will tell you, you ruined me. I’ve held a lot of girls I kissed to your standard and I’ve been sorely disappointed.'”

Just a Little Crush was a cute and entertaining second chance romance. Brinley and Ryder didn’t depart on great terms in high school and now they are attending the same college together. And now all of a sudden, Ryder is showing an interest to a skeptical Brinley. But as it turns out, Ryder is part of a game that could be possibly more humiliating than what she experienced in high school. And it’s up to Ryder to prove that what he feels for her isn’t a game and is real. As I mentioned, Just a Little Crush was an undeniably cute read. It wasn’t without its fair share of drama though, so I wouldn’t insert it into the fluffy category. The two main characters were on and off constantly throughout the novel but at no point did I stop believing in them and their relationship. Ryder was seemingly genuine for a large majority of the novel. My confidence was shattered in him at points, but that’s part of what made this a good novel: I was invested in the outcome. I adored Brinley. She was sweet and reminded me of myself. She was a relatable character that I wouldn’t mind befriending! The plot was well-paced and the novel was well written. Overall, it was a good contemporary read about putting away fears and giving someone another chance.